Starting mechanism for internal-combustion engines.



G. J. SPOHRER.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

- APPLICATION FILED MAR-25.1913.

1,178,603. Patented Apr. 11, 1916. 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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df jlfalr'fi" by I .1: "I 9 Attorneys THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D- C.

G. J. SPOHRER.

' STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1913.

1,178,603. I Patented Apr. 11, 1916. I

Inventor I Attorneys G. J. SPOHRER. STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1913.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3..

Witnesses Attorneys W l W THE COLUMBIA PLANQGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

ir sfratrns PATENT onnron.

GREGORY JOHN SPOHRER, OZE FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE' ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE MOTOR COMPRESSOR COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELA- WARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNALPCOMBUSTION. ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April, 1916.

Application filed March-25, 1913. SeriaINo. 756,769;

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, GnnooR-Y J. Sronnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Starting Mechanism for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to starting mechanism for internal combustion engines of the type employing .a convertible motor-coin pressor adapted to be connected to the shaft of the engine so as to drive that shaft in starting the engine and be driven by the engine shaft in order to compress airand store it in a tank: from which air under pressure may be drawn as: required for operating the motor-compressor as a motor.

The invention relates more particularly to the mechanism employed for connecting the motor-compressor to the shaft, of the engine or an auxiliary shaft connected thereto. Sucha connecting mechanismconstructed in accordance with the present invention is of special utility in connection with starting mechanism for internal combustion engines of the type disclosed in; an application for patent filed by me June 12, 1914:, and serially numbered: 811,579..

In most forms of internal combustion en gines, particularly those employed on automobiles, the engine shaft rotates always in the same direction. A motor-compressor for use in starting such: an engine, however, is preferably arranged tohave -its shaft rotate in one direction when operating asa. motor:

and in the opposite direction when operating; as a compressor. Also, it is desirable that when the motor-compressor is operatingasa motor, its shaft should rotate at a higher speed than that, at which the engine shaft isrotated, whereasw-hen' the engine is running and ample power is available for driving the motor-compressor as a. compressor, the shaft of the compressor may be connected directly to the engine shaft. so that. the two rotate at the same speed.

In accordance with the present invention, a mechanism is provided for connecting a convertible motor-compressor to: a shaft which is adapted to drive andbe driven by the-motor-compressor such that when the shaft is driving the motor-compressor to compress and store air, the shaft ofthe compressor will be connected directly tothe power-shaft so that the twowill: rotate in the same direction and at the same speed, and such that when the motor-compressor is operating as a motor, it will be connected whereby the: shaft of the motor-compressor and the engine shaft are connected in these two. different relations, is preferably arranged to be; actuated. inpart: by compressed air since a supply of compressed air is: maintained for operation of'the motor- For this purpose, air-piston may be employed moved in: one direction by air drawn from thcsupply tankandiinthe opposite direction by a. spring.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in; connection with the accompanyingdrawingswhichshow an embodiment of the invention-..

Inthese drawings, Figure 1 isa view, partially diagrammatic, of a motor-compressor, an: engine shaft connected thereto, a, tank and connections: from thc tank tothe motorcompressor; Fig; 2? i-sa; topwiewof the mo.- tor-compressor and a portion of-the engineshatt ;,Fig. 3 is-a section on line 3-3 ofFig: 2 Fig. 4a is-a' section on line 44 of Fig; 2; Fig. 5 is a, section on.- line 55 of Fig; 2 with the cylinder of the motor-compressor in elevation and Figs. 6 to 10: are detail views hereinafter referred, to.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the shaft of the engine having a gear 2- thereon which is connected. by a chain 3 wit-h a gear 4- formed. on arotating drum 5.. This" drum. has a detachable-head 6-whose sleeve 6- is rotatable upon the outer end 01? the shaft 8 ofthe motor-compressor,L a ball-bearing- 7 being provided: at the end of the sleeve 6 to receive the end thrust. provided with: cranks 9" and 10' and its op-- positeend isreceived in a bushing 11. in a journal 12 formed in the casing 131 of the motor-compressor 14.

The motor-compressor shown in the drawingsis of al two cylinder, double acting, compound type having a high pressure cylinder 15 and a low pressure cylinder 16.

The; shaft 8 is shown as ton-rods are provided with suitable The high pressure piston is shown at 17 connected by a piston-rod 19 and pin 20 to a connecting rod 22 on the crank 9. The end of the piston-rod 19 is adapted to reciprocate in guides 21. The piston 18 of the low pressure cylinder is connected by a rod 23 and pin 24 to the connectingrod 26 on the crank 10. The end of the piston-rod 23 is adapted to reciprocate in guides 25.

The valves of the motor compressor are operated by two eccentrics 27 and 28 on the shaft 8 and the straps 29 and 30 of these eccentrics actuate rods 31 and 34 which are connected to the valves. The valve for the low pressure cylinder is shown at 32; it includes a valve-member 55 moun ed on a pin 54 secured in the body of the valve 32 and it is reciprocated within a cylinder 33 by the rod 31. The valve for the high pressure cylinder is shown at 35 (Fig. 2) and is reciprocated within a cylinder 36 by the rod 34. The upper ends of the cylinders are closed by a detachable head 37 having a cooling chamber 38 therein and the cylinders are provided with a waterjacket as shown at 38. The pistons and pispacking as shown at 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52 and 53.

The motor-compressor is connected to a tank 39 and in this connection is a controlling valve 41. From the tank, a pipe 40 leads to the valve and from the valve, a pipe carries air to a coupling 43 leading to the high pressure valve chamber 36. From this valve chamber, air enters the high pressure cylinder at one or the other end thereof, causes reciprocation of the piston therein, then passes to the low pressure valve chamber 33 and is admitted by the valve 32 through ports 56 and 57 and passages 58 and 59 to opposite ends of the low pressure cylinder 16 so as to cause reciprocation of the piston 18, after which the air from the cylinder 16 is permitted to escape through an exhaust port E. When the motor-compressor is used as a compressor, air is drawn in at the port E and takes the reverse course through the cylinders and valve to the tank 39.

The drum 5 constitutes the main trans mission member for transmitting power between the motor-compressor and the engine shaft. At one end, this drum is contracted in diameter so as to form a sleeve 60 which is adapted to rotate upon a bushing 61 secured upon a journal 62 formed integral with and projecting from the casing of the motor-compressor. The wall projecting from the casing of the motor-compressor 7 forms an annular chamber between it and the contracted portion 60 for the reception of an annulus 80 hereafter referred to and the edge 64 of the wall 65 is grooved to receive a packing 63 which coacts with the drum 5 and serves as an Oll retaining means.

The drum 5 has an internal gear 66 formed integral therewith and this gear meshes with a plurality of pinions 67 which also mesh with a gear 71 secured upon the shaft 8.

The pinions 67 are mounted for rotation on pins 68 which project laterally from an annulus 69 whose sleeve 70 is adapted to rotate upon the bushing 61 between the portion 60 of the drum 5 and the pinions 67. Any desired number employed; in the present instance, three such pinions are provided.

At times, the annulus 69 rotates relatively to the drum 5 and at other times, it is clutched to the drum so that the two rotate together. This connection of drum 5 and annulus 69 is eii'ected by a plurality of pins 7 8 which are movable parallel to the axis of shaft 8 in openings provided in the inwardly directed portion of drum 5 leading to the sleeve 60. The ends of these pins are adapted to enter within or be withdrawn from holes provided for their reception in the annulus 69 as shown in Fig. 3. The pins 78 have enlarged heads which are received in a groove formed in the ring 80 lying in the space between the wall 65 of the casing and the portion 60 of drum 5. The pins 78 travel around shaft 8 with the drum 5 as the latter is rotated; v does not rotate, but it may be moved slightly in the direction of the axis of shaft 8 to carry the pins 78 into or out of coaction with annulus 69. To eflect this movement of ring 80, the latter is provided with radially disposed studs 84, r and 1" (Figs. 5, 9 and 10) which enter inclined slots 65 in the wall 65. The projection 84 is extended to form a handle 86 for turning ring 80 manually. The projection 84 also has a socket formed therein to receive the spherical end of a piston 82 adapted to reciprocate in a cylinder 83, the piston being actuated in one direction by a spring 81 within the cylinder and in the other direction by compressed air admitted to the end of the cylinder through a pipe leading from the master-valve 42.

The annulus 69 is provided with means whereby it may rotate freely upon the bushing 61 in one direction and whereby any tendency of the annulus to rotate in the opposite direction upon the bushing 61 will be effectually checked. For this purpose, the annulus 69 is provided with a plurality of slots 72 open to the interior of the annulus and disposed substantially at a tangent to the circle of the interior of the annulus. In

each of these slots is a roller 73 contacting with the exterior of the bushing 61 and with the opposite wall of the slot 72. Each of the rollers is acted upon by a spring-actuated rod 74 located in an opening in the annulus 69 and urged toward the roller 73 by a spring 75 whose tension may be adjusted by of pinions 67 may be the ring 80, however.

. pinions 67 in cluded by the rollers means of a nut 76. With this form of connecting mechanism, the engine shaft may be driven from the motor-compressor shaft to start the engine and as soon as the engine is started, the parts actuated thereby may rotate at the speed for which the engine is .set independently of the motor-compressor mechanism. Also, the .motor-compressor may be actuated in the opposite direction to serve as a motor driven by the engine shaft to compress and store air. The connection between the motor-compressor and the powerdriven shaft for use in operating the motor-compressor as a compressor is a direct one causing simultaneous rotation of the power-driven shaft and the motor shaft in the same direction. But when the motorcompressor is operated as a motor, it is connected to the power shaft through a speedreducing and reversing gear. The parts are shown in Fig. 3 in the position they assume when the motor-compressor is used as a motor. The shaft 8 is then driven in a counter-clockwise direction turning the a clockwise direction and thus causing rotation of the drum 5 and the en-' gine shaft 1 in a clockwise direction. When the pinions 67 are rotating thus and transmitting power from the motor to the rotary member 5, they tend to cause rotation of the annulus 69 in thecounter-clockwise direction, but such rotation of the annulus is pre- 7 3 coacting with the bushing 61 and the walls of the slots 7 2 and serving as a ratchet and pawl mechanism. At this time, the ring is in the position shown in Fig. 3 with the pins 78 held out of the holes 69 in the annulus 69. The ring 80 is held in this position by the spring 81 of the pneumatic ram 83, which spring 81 turns the ring 80 to the position where the projections 84, 1" and r thereon are at the ends of the slots 65 which are adjacent to the casing of the motor-compressor. The parts are maintained in this position while the compressor runs as a motor to start the engine and when the engine is started, the rotary member 5 is continued in its clockwise rotation by the engine at a higher speed than that at which it was driven by the motor, and the member 5 then causes the pinions 67 and annulus 69 to rotate in a clockwise direction about the bushing 61 and gear 71, such rotation of the annulus 69 in a clockwise direction being permitted by the rollers 73. The supply of air to the motor may then be cut off and the shaft of the motor will come to rest.

T/Vhen it is desired to operate the motorcompressor as a compressor driven by the rotary member 5 and engine shaft 1, air is admitted to the ram 83 thereby shifting the handle 86 against the tension of spring 81 so that the projections 84, r and 7* move to the opposite ends of the slots 65 as shown in Fig. 10, thus moving the ring 8.0 in the direction of the axis of shaft 8- and projecting' the ends of pins 7 8 into the holes 69 in the annulus 69. This looks the annulus to the drum 5 so that the annulus and the pin-ions 67 thereon rotate with the drum 5 and carry the gear 71 .and shaft 8 with them, all of the parts then rotating in a clockwise direction and such rotation of annulus 69 being permitted by the rollers 73.

The appropriate air connections are made as follows, reference being and 7. The neutral position of the valve is that indicated by the letter M, with the handle extending to the left in Fig. 1. To compress air in the tank, the handle is turned up as shown in Fig. 1. If there be no supply of compressed air in the tank, the handle 80 is operated manually, but if there be a supply, when handle 100 is turned up as shown in Fig. 1, air will fiow from the tank 39 through pipe 85 to cylinder 83 and operate lever 86 pneumatically. When the mechanism is driven as an air-compressor by the engine,- air will flow from the compressor through pipe 45, port 97, passage 96 past check-valve 102 to chamber 90, port 101, and port 104 to pipe 40 and tank 39. When sufficient air has been compressed, the handle is moved to the neutral position M and a vent c is brought opposite the end of pipe 85 to allow air. to escape from cylinder 83 so that the lever 86 will be returned to its normal position by spring 81.

To operate as a motor, the handle is turneddown to the position M and air flows from tank 39 and-pipe 40 to port 104, port 107, chamber 90, port 103, port 99, passage 98, port 97 and pipe 45 to the high pressure cylinder. Should the high pressure crank 9 be on dead center, the handle 100 may be moved to the position M intermediate the neutral position M and the position M just referred to. Air would then flow to the chamber as just described and from there to the port 103, port 105 and pipe 42 to the low pressure cylinder and as soon as the high pressure crank was shifted off center, the handle would be moved to the position M for operating the motor-compressor as a compound motor.

The member 5 of the gearing connecting the motor-compressor with the power-shaft is shown as connected to that shaft by a chain; it will be apparent, however, that the power-shaft and the motor-compressor shaft might be in alinement in which case the retary member 5 could be secured directly to the engine-shaft.

WVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a convertible motor-compressor and an engine shaft adapted to drive and be driven by the same, of a gear on the shaft of the motor-compressor, an internal gear connected with the enmade to Figs. 1

gine shaft, a plurality of pinions meshing with said gears, a rotatable support for said pinions and automatic means for permitting or preventing rotation of said rotatable support dependent upon the relative speeds of the engine shaft and the motor-compressor; substantially as described.

2. The combination with a convertible motor-compressor and an engine shaft adapted to drive and be driven by the same, of a gear on the shaft of the motor-compressor, an internal gear connected to the shaft of the engine, a plurality of pinions meshing with said gears, a rotatable support for said pinions and automatic clutch mechanism for preventing rotation of said support when the motor-compressor drives the engine and for permitting rotation of the support when the engine operates under its own power; substantially as described.

3. The combination with a convertible motor-compressor and an engine shaft adapted to drive and be driven by the same, of a gear on the shaft of the motor-compressor, an internal gear connected with the engine shaft, a plurality of pinions meshing with said gears, a rotatable support for said pinions and automatic devices for preventing rotation of said support when the motorcompressor drives the engine, said devices permitting free rotation of said support when the speed of said internal gear driven by the engine exceeds the speed of the other gear, substantially as described.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,

4. The combination of a shaft, a second shaft adapted to drive and be driven by the first shaft, a gear on the first shaft, an internal gear connected to the second shaft, a plurality of pinions meshing with said gears, a rotatable support for the pinions, an automatic mechanism for permitting rotation of said support in one direction and preventing rotation of the support in the opposite direction, and means for locking said support to said internal gear; substantially as described.

The combination with a conve "tible motor compressor and an engine shaft adapted to drive and be driven by the same, of a gear on the shaft of the motor compressor, an internal gear connected with the engine shaft, a plurality of pinions meshing with said gears, a rotatable support for said pinions, automatic means for preventing rotation of said support when the motor compressor drives the engine and permitting rotation of the support when the engine operates under its own power, and means for locking said support to said internal gear to cause the engine to drive the motor compressor; substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afl'ixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- GREGORY JOHN SPOHRER.

Witnesses:

MARY B. EOKERT, BRYAN H. OSBORNE.

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

